Canada looks to bring Ireland back to earth after famous upset win over New Zealand

Fresh from a comprehensive 46-24 victory over France to open the WXV women's rugby tournament, Canada faces an Irish side riding high after upsetting reigning World Cup champion New Zealand 29-27.

Both teams climbed the World Rugby rankings in the wake of their weekend wins in Vancouver, with the Canadian women leapfrogging New Zealand to take over second spot behind England while Ireland moved past Australia into sixth place.

Canada and Ireland continue play Saturday in the top division of the three-tiered WXV tournament in Langley, B.C., following the match between No. 4 France and the eighth-ranked U.S. England takes on New Zealand at the same venue Sunday in a rematch of the World Cup final won 34-31 by the host Black Ferns in November 2022.

Canada coach Kevin Rouet welcomes the Irish challenge.

"We expect a very good team," he told a virtual availability Thursday.

Ireland showed power and resilience in the win over New Zealand. The Irish barged their way through Black Ferns defenders from close range to score five tries, including one in the 79th minute to tie the score at 27-27.

Fly half Dannah O'Brien then coolly banged the winning conversion in off the goalpost for a victory that brought back memories of another historic win over New Zealand. The Irish downed the Black Ferns 17-14 in the pool stage at the 2014 Rugby World Cup in France, ending New Zealand's run of 20 consecutive victories at the tournament.

Including its 15-12 win over Scotland in the final round of the Women’s Six Nations and a 36-10 triumph over Australia in Belfast in a warm-up game last month, Ireland has won three consecutive tests against top-10 opposition for the first time since 2017 (wins over Italy, France and Wales).

The Canadian women, meanwhile are riding a five-match winning streak dating back to last year's WXV 1. Their four wins to date this year have come with an average winning margin of 22 points.

"We are flying high, for sure," said captain Tyson Beukeboom. "I think we're playing exciting rugby. With the way we're playing, we still have so much room for improvement and with that I think the sky's the limit for us."

Canada is 2-1-0 all-time against Ireland, with wins in 2002 (57-0 at the World Cup in Girona, Spain) and 2016 (48-7 in Dublin) sandwiched around a 2006 loss (15-8 in Galway).

Rouet has made five changes to his starting 15 with Alexandra Ellis, Courtney Holtkamp and Caroline Crossley slotting into the pack and Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry moving into the backline.

It's a first start for Crossley, a member of the Canadian sevens squad who came off the bench against France for her first 15s cap. Prop Rori Wood could make her debut off the bench.

Beukeboom earns her 70th cap, adding to her Canadian women's record.

Rouet said none of the changes are injury-related. Rather they are about adding depth to the squad.

"We came to this tournament very direct with the players," said the French-born coach. "It's not about winning the WXV. It's about preparing ourselves for the World Cup (in 2025 in England). We're happy if winning the WXV is in the mix.

"We want to have everybody involved in the project … We have a very competitive group at the moment."

Unlike four of the other five teams at the tournament, the Canadian women are not under contract to their governing body. And while many of his players play their club rugby in England or France, Rouet says they can still only be considered semi-pro because of their modest wages.

Rouet says Canada and the U.S. are the only teams in the women's top 10 whose players are not under contract with their governing body.

Asked if the Canadian women are close to getting contracts, Rouet replied: "I don't know."

"It's not an easy situation. I can tell you Rugby Canada does its best … to support our team," he said.

And the 33-year-old Beukeboom noted that when she joined the national team, it was under a pay-to-play model that thankfully is no longer in use.

The Irish women are under contract and on the rise under head coach Scott Bemand, who played for Harlequins, Leicester Tigers and Bath before joining the English women's coaching staff.

Ireland finished last in the 2023 Women's Six Nations Championship, consigning it to the third tier of the WXV tournament which it won — outscoring the opposition 188-16 including a 109-0 win over Kazakhstan — in Bemand's first games in charge.

The Irish qualified for WXV 1 this time after finished third at 2-3-0 in this year's Six Nations, defeating Wales and Scotland while losing to France, Italy and England.

Canada cannot climb any higher in the rankings with a win Saturday. But it could slip back to third even in victory if New Zealand beats England by more than 15 points.

Canada Starting Lineup

Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris  (France); Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Justine Pelletier, Riviere-du-Loup, Que., Stade Bordelais (France); Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Saracens (England); Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

Replacements

Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press